Maintaining Body Balance With Traditional Herbal Medicine

Illustration of ginger tea (Shutterstock/akepong srichaichana)

JAKARTA - Jamu is a form of local wisdom that is formulated to help maintain the balance of various systems in the body, including the digestive system.

Not only as a traditional drink, herbal medicine brings a holistic health philosophy that emphasizes the harmony between the body and the surrounding nature. In the midst of a modern lifestyle full of pressure and unbalanced diet, herbal medicine is here as a natural solution that is able to support the function of the body to remain optimal.

Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Traditional Medicine and Herbal Medicine Developers (PDPOTJI), dr. Inggrid Tania, emphasized the importance of understanding the philosophy of herbal medicine as a means of maintaining a balance of the body. According to him, the main concept of herbal medicine is "balance and harmony", or balance and harmony. This is closely related to the ability of herbs to balance the body's organ system while creating harmony with the environment.

"Common is not just a concoction, but reflects our ancestors' understanding of the importance of living in harmony with nature," he said as quoted by ANTARA.

He explained that various types of traditional jamu carryers such as acid turmeric turmeric turmeric rice, puyang chili, bitterness, ordered key, and cinema proved to have a positive effect on digestive health. For example, acid turmeric is known to help relieve complaints ahead of menstruation, while synoms are effective in improving the function of cerna channels in general.

Meanwhile, bitter herbs are useful for overcoming complaints such as bloating stomachs and lack of appetite. The use of these herbal ingredients is not only based on hereditary heritage, but has also begun to obtain scientific evidence in various studies.

Not only herbal plants, but Inggrid also underlines the efficacy of honey as a natural ingredient of animals that support the health of the digestive tract. Honey is known to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and high viscosity properties that are able to coat and protect the stomach mucose.

"Madu is very useful for people with stomach disorders such as gastritis, GERD, and even stomach hatchlings," he said. He added, the combination of honey and turmeric is one of the natural formulas that effectively maintains digestive health, with the content of kurcuminoids in turmeric which is shown to relieve inflammation and improve the function of the digestive system.

Furthermore, Inggrid said that the herbal medicine which is modernly processed and has obtained a distribution permit has wider potential for the community to be accepted scientifically and globally. Jamu has been widely researched in various countries, and the results show the benefits are supported by strong scientific evidence," he said.

On the same occasion, the Deputy for Supervision of Traditional Medicines, Health Supplements, and Cosmetics from BPOM, Mohamad Kashuri, emphasized that herbal medicine needs to be encouraged so that it not only becomes research material, but also becomes a superior competitive product.

According to him, herbal medicine is a representation of a local culture that not only has historical value, but also empirical evidence supported by a growing scientific study. Herbal medicine is not only a concoction, but also part of cultural heritage that has been proven to be beneficial for generations, and is now increasingly being used as a topic in journals and scientific seminars as a great potential in the development of traditional medicines, "explained Kashuri.